Discovering Secret London

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The Secret London season has opened at the London Transport Museum this month with an exhibition of illustrations, a talk at a secret London location and a tour of a disused Underground station

The Serco Prize for Illustration 2012 – Secret London, an exhibition of the best entries

13 November to 10 December 2012

Tickets £13.50 (£10.00 for adult concessions) which allows free entry to the Museum in Covent Garden for a whole year. Under 16s go free.

An exhibition of 50 of the best competition entries submitted by professionals and students for the Serco Prize for Illustration 2012. Entrants were invited to create an illustration depicting little known or unusual aspects of the Capital’s history, culture, characters and communities – past or present.

The shortlisted illustrations vary in media used and the subjects and ideas conveyed. Some are place specific showing surprising and little-known aspects of the Capital including the last working sewer gas lamp in Carting Lane, a Russian orthodox church in West London, and part of London’s forgotten river-scape. Others take a playful, humorous approach showing wildlife in the context of famous London icons – foxes commuting on the London Underground and a ‘pigeon disco’ inside Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square.

Alongside these are illustrations capturing the hustle and bustle of the Capital, juxtaposed against others depicting calm and tranquil aspects of city life– a busy, multi-layered market scene, a solitary figure ascending the steps of Piccadilly Station and narrow boats on a canal.

The competition has been organized in partnership with the Association of Illustrators (AoI) and this is the third year that Serco have sponsored the awards and exhibition.

The Ultimate Guide to Secret London

Tuesday 27 November 6 p.m. – 8.30 p.m.

Tickets: £15 (£12 concessions) –

Tickets include a drink on arrival and free entry to see the Secret London exhibition until 10 December 2012.

Matt Brown, editor of über-cool London website Londonist.com, will share his knowledge of little-known and unconsidered places and spaces in the Capital. From a haunted plague pit beneath London Bridge to the lights above Piccadilly Circus, Matt’s got the goods on London’s hidden side. The venue details are secret and will be given to ticket holders a week before.  Prepare yourself for a stunning London view.

Aldwych – the Secret Station

Friday 30 November to Sunday 2 December and Friday 7 – Sunday 9 December
Daytime tours: £20 (£18 concessions) Evening tours: £25 (£22.50 concessions)

Tickets include admission to London Transport Museum within one month of tour date.

A festive treat. Wrap up in your winter woollies, and explore the disused Aldwych Underground station. Discover the platform that closed at the start of the First World War in order to store valuable artefacts from the British Museum, see the place where films such as Atonement and V for Vendetta were filmed and listen to the wind howling through the deserted tunnels deep beneath the streets of London. Evening tours include a short choral concert from the Transport for London Choir, and a hot drink as part of the ticket price.

Aldwych Secret Station tickets must be booked in advance and will go on sale on 19 November. This event is not suitable for those under 16 years of age.

Tickets for all events can be booked at www.ltmuseum.co.uk.

London Transport Museum situated in Covent Garden Piazza, WC2E 7BB and is open daily.Tickets are £13.50 (£10.00 for adult concessions), which allow free entry to all the Museum galleries for a whole year. Under 16s visit free.